As a research producer for ESPN’s College GameDay Built by The Home Depot, Marisa Dowling is one of the unseen engines behind what makes the show go. From early-morning rundowns to on-the-fly fact‑checking as storylines unfold in real time, she helps shape the way viewers experience college football’s premier pregame show.
In this edition of ESPN Front Row ‘Team Player’ series, GameDay host Rece Davis and college football insider Pete Thamel shine a light on the energy, curiosity and commitment that make Marisa an essential member of the GameDay family.
What makes Marisa successful in her role?
Thamel: Marisa is successful in her role because of a blend of work ethic, diligence and passion. She’s the first person in the office every week. She works the latest. She is nimble, immune to pressure and constantly seeking to help and promote others. She’s the backbone of what we do, keeping things accurate and also shaping the conversation quietly behind the scenes through her observations and research. It’s hard to imagine College GameDay without her.
How does she help you do your job to the best of your ability?
Davis: Perhaps it’s her background as an athlete, but she has an innate understanding of the importance of team. People throw that around in our business. Few actually live it and embody it the way Marisa does. She takes joy in GameDay’s success. I’ve sent her ideas or questions early in the week, at the last minute and all times in between. Her answer is always the same: “I’m on it.” She brings back thorough breakdowns and if my idea was off or she thought of a better angle, she isn’t shy about telling me.
Could you describe a specific instance when she went above and beyond to help you?
Davis: She has handwritten myriad conference tiebreaker scenarios and given them to me so we’d have a heads up on how an overlooked game might ultimately impact a conference championship game. Earlier this year, I noticed from watching tape in preparation for Cincinnati and Utah that the overall stats didn’t seem to directly correlate with what I was seeing. We talked and suspected that the Utes’ otherwise strong run defense occasionally leaked and allowed moderately explosive runs. The Bearcats excelled there. She dug in and quantified it in a digestible way that added a layer to the pregame matchup. During the show, she indulges my obsessive side — a regular occurrence mid-show on the talkback (I have a direct line to her) “can you confirm my pronunciation of Iapani Laloulu?” She’s got it every time.
Thamel: She brings a passion for all the stats and has a sweet way of rooting for the sport. She wants all the players to thrive. She so often comes up with things in the chaos of the show, with shaky WiFi and the insanity of working in front of thousands of people on live TV. One example from this year is she’s not afraid to dive into difficult projects. College football is an unwieldy beast from a stats perspective; there’s 130-something teams and they all change leagues. Marisa dug into a carousel project on the most Power League jobs to turn over in a year. She dove into tricky numbers and changing data sets to help us – online and on the show – have a clear understanding of the context of this coaching carousel.
“My College GameDay team, both on-screen and off, has helped me grow into a person and professional that I never thought was possible. Whether it’s diving into designed QB runs for Desmond Howard or late-game, clock management scenarios for Nick Saban, I’ve come to realize that I enjoy the chase and thrill of finding the obscure note or solving the puzzle that, at times, felt too immense to narrow down. As Lee Corso used to say, “Entertainment is our business, and football is our vehicle.” Football has become my vehicle to showcase my love and enthusiasm for research.
No two teammates have helped me tap into my passion more than Rece Davis and Pete Thamel. Each week I look forward to the data we can find to highlight a player entering the Transfer Portal or how we can provide context to historical matchups between differing No. 1 teams. Their instincts and intellect are both inspirational and motivational. Yet, more importantly, both Rece and Pete have modeled for me how to channel my passion and express it with enthusiasm, integrity and love. They have become my family and my standards for not only what we do as professionals but also how we do it as people.” – Marisa on Rece, Pete and the GameDay crew
